The typical three methods to input characters of electronic equipment having a function of inputting a character are a standard input apparatus of a telephone, a keyboard input apparatus of a computer and touch screen input apparatus.
First, the standard input apparatus of a telephone is for transmission of characters using number pads of a telephone. It was designed for a specific character to be recognized according to how many times a specific number is pressed. This method was useful when a data converter is not included in a telephone, however at present this method is not any more efficient since a mobile phone became a little computer converting inputted data into standard data and sending them.
Also, this method is used when pressing number pads with an index finger, holing a mobile phone with another hand, whereas pressing number pads using a thumb or thumbs of both hands, holding a mobile phone with one hand is come into general use these days. When arranging a lot of characters by using twelve (3 by 4) key input apparatus which is standards substrate of a telephone, one same key pad is pressed several times unavoidably. It is after all, cause a problem that mull more keys are need to be pressed than when inputting a same character by using computer.
Especially, as the functions of a mobile phone are improving, people search phone numbers in the telephone directory in storage and frequency of inputting characters is increasing since different characters are input according to the situations, whereas telephone in the past was focused on inputting numbers than inputting characters.
On the other hand, touch screen inputting method which is used in PDA is a method to input characters by torching keyboards or character pads panels in a screen with a thin bar. This method also has a problem that the inputting speed is very slow since the characters are input with one hand.
After all, the fastest inputting method among the above three typical inputting methods is a keyboard inputting method. However, the problem of this method is that the keyboard is too bulky. One of good examples of this is an electronic dictionary. Too many keyboards in a too small space only brought an inconvenience.
Accordingly, a new convenient inputting method suited to portable small sized electronic equipments having more character input keys and using a space more efficiently which enables people to input characters with one hand or two thumbs of both hands has been required.
A new method is proposed to solve the problems aforementioned.
‘A keypad of an informational terminal (Registered Utility Model No. 20-340166)’ is a method allotting 3 to 4 different characters in 3 to 4 different directions of one button (input key). That is to say, a button having 3 directions has a shape of ‘T’ and the number of arranged buttons is 12 same as a standard substrate of a telephone.